Frank Wilkes
A bland midcarder who you've probably seen in a million matches without remembering him, Frank Wilkes gained notoriety after incorporating a criminal conviction into an offensive gimmick. Being forced to register as a sex offender, Wilkes had a hard time getting work. When he did show up at events he'd often find the boys working stiff, attempting to hurt him, and audiences chanting "RSO." Whether he devised it as a gimmick or just rolled with the chants is anyone's guess, but "Registered Sex Offender" Frank Wilkes continues to haunt the indy circuit. History ﻿Blood Stained Nights I When his trainer, Lucerio Villaini, decided to put on a death match tournament, it fell to his students to fill out the blank spots; and Frank Wilkes was thrown to the wolves. Initially asked to take a dive into barbwire in the first round, just long enough to get a feel for live crowds, Wilkes "lucked out" when his opponent Scarlet Dawg destroyed his knee. A second round required a spill into a bed of nails, but Nathan "High Spot" Forbes blew a shooting star press, knocking himself out, and sending the rookie into the finals. Six Demon Bag destroyed Frank Wilkes in short order, giving him scars that Wilkes still carries today. The match was boring, the wrestling non-existent, and the spots barely there, but Frank Wilkes had reached the main event of a pay per view. EWF ﻿Industry talk of a green horn getting to the finals of a death match tournament, got Wilkes signed by the EWF, before they could learn that he wasn't a very good wrestler. Wilkes was stuck with fellow forgettable pretty boy, Jonathan Smith, to tag as the American Dreamers. Mostly working dark matches, and always losing, but the two made the most of it, picking up moves along the way. IWA Hyper Fight VI The EWF was part of a coalition of federations known as the IWA. In exchange for top draws of rival promotions working their bigger shows, EWF had to throw in some talent for co-promoted pay per views. The promoter of Big Garbage Japan, always happy to put himself over a "deathmatch star," requested Wilkes. EWF didn't think twice, a tag wrestler barely making the curtain jerk - have fun. At Hyper Fight VI - "Big" DICK Yashimoto brutalized Wilkes in the undercard, but took the inexperienced selling for bravery, and liked the kid. Big Garbage Japan As part of a "talent exchange," and at the request of Yashimoto, Wilkes was sent to tour with Big Garbage for two seasons. It was mostly uneventful, with Wilkes appearing on the losing end of a number of tag matches to Six Demon Bag; but it did help him hone his craft. IWA Hyper Fights XV No sooner was Wilkes back in the states, than the EWF sent him to another joint show. If the president of Alamo Pro needed someone to make him look good, Wilkes was barely an EWF employee anyway. In the undercard, Wilkes challenged cult hero, TYRANT Slim, for the IWA TV title. Not liking squashes, Slim dragged the defense out to twenty minutes and made Wilkes look like gold. EWF The American Dreamers were broken up, with Wilkes now looking like a singles star, and getting pushed accordingly. "No Gimmicks Needed" Frank Wilkes had high profile feuds with Baron Von Kraft, Thomas Little, Fire Angel, and Ripper Carl Stevens during which time he won the Lightweight title twice. IWA Hyper Fights 53 With the IWA moving towards more family friendly programming, stars were being repackaged. As part of a serious push, Frank Wilkes was given a clown gimmick. In the big under fight, "The Clown" Frank Wilkes defeated AWE-I's Jojo the Dog Faced Boy. IWA Hyper Fights 54 "The Clown" Frank Wilkes was scheduled to challenge Brian Calypso for the IWA world title. The first time the EWF was given a serious shot at the belt, and everyone thought it was Wilkes big shot. On the eve of the event, Wilkes was arrested on sexual deviancy charges. Wilkes pleaded out, and was given five years probation, and had to register as a sex offender. Considering it a PR nightmare, the IWA blacklisted Wilkes from any federations in its coalition. The EWF also released him from his contract. Indy For the next two years Frank worked in any federation that would have him, frequently paired up with little people, bears, and any other sideshow. At some point during this time his reality became the gimmick. A brief appearance at Wild Bill's Invitational Rumble led Wilkes to meet Jean Pierre Celine; and while Wilkes wasn't allowed in the rumble - it would prove to be a fateful encounter. SWAT Backyard "Registered Sex Offender" Frank Wilkes finally resurfaced in SWAT, where he won the ULTIMATE title over Sirius Man. He immediately vacated the title, signing an exclusive contract with SPW. Shootfire Pro Wrestling Wilkes thought he'd finally returned to the big time, joining a household name like SPW. Arriving he was crestfallen to discover he wouldn't be wrestling, but acting as a manager for Jean Pierre Celine. It didn't last long. VVV Memorial Cup Out of his SPW contract, Wilkes made a brief appearance in a SWAT Backyard event, participating in the main event rumble. He fell just short of winning, but the cameo was more payback for leaving the company in the lurch. Titles ﻿SWAT Ultimate Champion (first, vacates) EWF International champion x 2 EWF Tag Team champion (w/Jonathan Smith as the American Dreamers) Moveset *﻿Victimizer: Spiked Victory Roll *Second Chance: Feint Thrust Kick *RSO: Snap Cobra Clutch Suplex *RSO II: Rolling Cobra Clutch Suplex *Coming To Your Neighbourhood: Rapid Fire Overhand Fists in the corner, then Splash *Societal Debt Repayment: Spinout Bulldog *Registered: Fireman's Carry Brainbuster *Belly-to-Belly Superplex, Claws (all kinds), Shortarm Closeline, Low Blows (all kinds), Small Package, Inside Cradle, Triangle Choke, Baseball Slide, Tombstone Piledriver, Sleeper, Full Nelson, Airplane Spin, Octopus Hold, Headbutt, Hip Attack (all kinds) Themes "Trust" by Prince Coming To Your Neighourhood Wilkes is prominently featured in a documentary film about convicts attempting to readjust to society. In his portion of the film, Wilkes is found addicted to black ice; and has a match against Ben the Wrestling Bear in front of an audience of twelve. It brought him some mainstream attention, none of it good. Frank Wilkes, Wanted And Desired A compilation of his more low brow Indy matches became quite hot amongst tape traders, leading to a large cult following. *McDonald's Bubble Room Death Match: Frank Wilkes vs. Chris Templeton *Alamo Pro: Frank Wilkes vs. Brent Wallace *Barbwired Playground Match: "RSO" Frank Wilkes vs. "Big" DICK Yashimoto *SWAT Backyard: "RSO" Frank Wilkes vs. Sirius Man *Barbwired Playground 2: "RSO" Frank Wilkes vs. ARSENAL *Blood Stained Christmas Night '09 *Blood Stained Nights XX: "RSO" Frank Wilkes vs. Brent Wallace